Sound-producing instrument



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A UNITED-STATES 1,685,502 BATENT IQFFICE.

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My to sound l reducing or musical instruments which emp oy sounproducing bars. An instrument of the kind "to which m. inventionV isadaptable is detionisnottobethuslimited.

scribed in `S. Patent 1,562,103 Adated November 17, 1925, thouvh theinvenn the instrument disclosed in this patent, suspended bars ane a tobe struck by hammers to set them into vibration. In. appl ing myinvention to the instrument of sai patent, I pro?- vide the soundproducing bars, or .some of them, with supp emental bars which are alsoset into vibration to furnish tonal qualities lacking in the main'bars.The supplemental bars are desirably set into vibration by 'the4 y thesounds produced by both brs, and having tonal qualities which either baralone is incapable of producing. For example, the sound thus jointlyproduced by the main and supplemental bars lmay have the tonal qualitiesof sounds produced by a flaring bell with a metallic ring or overtone.-That is the tones` produced by the two bars are complementary harmonictones that tend to clarify the sound and make it louder and morebellLlike in tone.

The invention will be more fully explained A by' reference to theaccompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic viewillustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention; Fig. 2 is asectional view on line 2-,2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is. a.' sectional viewon line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

Themain sound producing bar and the mechanism associated therewith willfirst be described. The main sounding bar 1 -is indicated as beingtubular. It is suspended by a cord 2 from a suitable support. The bar 1is provided with a sound damper 3 which floats upon upright coiledsprings 5, these normally pressing the soundY damper the bottom of thebar. The-sound 3 is desirably an iron amature car- Springs againstdamper a sound damping cushion 7 preferably ph t, directly engaging thebottom end of e ar.

The barl 1 isset in vibration in any preferred wsy. I have illustratedthe bar as being pro Yi ed witl a hammer-11 which is applied to the barby means of the striking'solenoid or electromagnet 13 and which isretracted from the bar it hasstruck by means of the withdrawing solenoidor magnet 15.

l The manually operated key 17 through instrumentalities to bedescribed,'to

This armature issincluded in 'am electromagnet haying an" energizingcoil9.

serves,

operate the hammer 11, other keys tor con Y trolling the hammers ofother sounding bars, not illustratedfbeing included in the same -bankwith key 17.

The apparatus whereby the 'key 17 has control over the hammer 11 will bedescribed. lVheiithe key 17 is depressed a circuit is established whichmay be traced from 'the positive pole of the generator 20 through thepositive bus wire 21, the magnet or solenoid winding 22, the keycontacts 23, 24,01? key 17, the negative bus wire `to the negative,

pole of the generator` 2Q. The solenoid 22,`

when energized, lifts its core 26 to bring the metallic switchk block 27into engagementv with the. two spring contacts 28 and 29.V

When these spring contacts 28 and 29 are electrically connected b ltheswitch block 27, another circuit is estab ished which includes the,switc i block 27 rela 30, andthe switchcontacts 31 and 32. W en therelay 30vis energized circuit is established which may be traced rom'thepositive pole of the enerator 20 through the bus wire 21, the strikingwinding 13, contacts 33 and 34 'of the armature switch of relay 30, thenegative bus wire 25 to the negative pole of the generator. Theenergized solenoid winding 13 draws the sole'- noid Acore 35 forciblytoward the bar 1 to strike the hammer 11 against this bar. As

' the hammer nears the bar the circuit of the striking solenoid 13 is`opened, the hammer moving the rest of its vstriking distance `bymomentum. Tlieopening of the circuit of the striking solenoid isdirectly occasioned by, the separation of the contacts 31 and 32 by theseparation of the contacts 31 and 32 that are included in series withthe relay 30, the relay 30, when deenergized, opening the circuit of thestrikingsolenoid .13 at the switch 33,

enerator 20, spring contacts 28, 29,'

Thesecontact 311 and 32 are sepzlfrted as aH Cons@finalice'.0v,e@31erszatitmfv ,erelay 36 occurring S'wleithe liidiirs the bar,fthesecontacts being included in the armature tswitchi mechanism b elpnging tothis paticula'rire ay. vrThe circuit 'of 15h29 vIelay 36 includesthegenerato'r' 20,'the'"switchnl elements 28,- 27, 29, the vwindinggofthe.. relay and the switch contacts 37 and 38, which are closed by thepin 39:,1`1p0'n the hammer 11 when this pin engages the horn 40 uponcontact 37 as the `.hammerfnea'rs'the bar l. and which are separatedwhen the. hammer is retracted, bythe engagement of the'pin 39 with thehorn 41 upon the contact 37. When the relay36 is thus energized thecontacts 31 and 32 are separated with the results described.

-To prevent repeated operation of the hammer while the key correspondingthereto is depressed, a supplemental contact 43 is employed, thiscontact being in multiple with the contact 37, which, with.the contact32 that is in multiple with the Contact` 38, are substituted for thecontacts 37 and 38 and performing the same function, the contact 43heing engaged by the contact 32 when the relay 36 is energized wherebythe striking solenoid 13 is maintained in open circuit and theretracting solenoid 15 is maintained in closed circuit, as long asthecforresponding key 17 .is closed.- When this key 17 isreleased thecorrespondinglsolenoid 22 is deenerglzed to interrupt all ammervcontrolling circuits.

The sound dam er is normally` applied to the bottom end o the bar` 1.Whenever the hamber 11`is appliedA to its bar the correspondingsounddamper is withdrawn to permit the' bar to vibrate. When a key 17 isdepressed, circuit isestablished through the damper withdrawing magnet9, which' may be traced from the posltive lpole of the generator 20through the bus wire 21,' the conductor 44, switch contact 45,"theupright metallic lunger rod 46, contact 47, contact 48 engaged v ycontact 47 whenthe pluiliiger rod46 is' lifted by the insulating bloc 53lupon the solenoid core 26, the winding ofthe damper releasing magnet `9the negative bus wire 25 to the negative pole -of the generator. Thecontact 48 is pressed to a limited extei'i'v't toward the' contact 47 bymeans of a coiled spring 49.

The auxiliary bar 54 is suspended by the strap 55 to be substantiallyparallel with an abreast of bar 1. A bo1t 56 iscar.- fr ried by thestrap and directly-supports'barf 54.' Said strap also carries'an upperframe 57 andalower frame 58. Rubber rings 59 pbsition the ba'r54 midwaybetween the long i' sides of said frames. Rubber tubes 60 limit` theextent-to which the bar 54 may swing after being set into vibration bybeing' struck. Cushions `61 upon frames 57, 58 prevent bar 1 from engag. the frames.

The main arl carriesia striker or ham neeaeoa lmounted to swing whenstruck) and A a'portlon that 1s withinstriking range ofthe mer near itsupper end when the bar is set Ainteyibration hammer bar 54,v

.thisbar being prefeablyolloxig micross section and the hammer 62preferably being arranged to vstrike the narrow-side' Qfiebar producedby both bars and which is not furnished by bar 1 alone,as hitherto setforth. The body offhammer 62 is desirably metallic with its striking endmade of rawhide. When the bar 1 is struck it is swung Sullicientlytost-rike the ba-r54 through the inter# mediation of said hammer. Bar 54serves as a damper to reduce the swinging movement of 'bar 1 to such` anextent that the latter bar strikes the'xiirst preferably only once,eachbeing thus permitted to continue its own vi bration withoutinterference from the other. The supplemental bar not only contributesto the tone produced by both bars, but modies thetone produced by barlby checking its swinging movement.

A sound producing instrument made asl herein 'set iorth is capable ofproducing sgunds of desired tonal quality'whicheither bar acting alonevwould not produce. The

sound of a, ia'ringv bell, may, for, example, be l well simulated by thedevice of my invention.

In the preferred embodiment'of theainyention, the tone. produced 4bystrikin the supplemental bar upon the narrow 4side t ereof-` produces acomplementa .u ver artial to the1 fundamental tone ry PP 'p By strikingafiat' side of the supplemental bar, a second tone complementary to thetones produced b both bars is produced, the various tones o the barscoalescing to producelthe of the main bar.

sound of a iiaring musical bell. The inven# l' tion is not limited, inall -of its embodiments, to s ound producing bars as othervsoundproducing members may be employed in accordance with somecharacteristics ofthe inven on; y .Changes m y be made without departingom'the invention. ,v f Having thus described mylinvention', I claimt- Dl iis I. In a soundproduciiig instrument, `the v combination with a mainanda supplemental sound producing'bar, .the main ar being carryingsupplemental bar.. v

2. In a sound producing instrument, the-11" combination with a main and'a supplementl sound producing bar, the main bar having a ortionengageable with nthe supplemental ar when the main bar is set intosound'producing vibration to set the supplemental bar into soundproducing vibration.

3. In a sound producing instrument, the combination with a main and asupplemental sound producing bar, the main bar being mounted to swingwhen struck and carrying a portion that is within striking range of thesupplemental bar; @und dampers applicable to both bars and coupled to besimultaieously removed from engagement with said lI'S.

4. In a sound producing instrument, the combination with a main and asupplemental f sound producing bar, themain bar havin a portionengageable with the supplemental ar when the main bar is set into soundreducing vibration to set the supplementalp bar into sound producingvibration; and dampers applicable to both bars and coupled to besimultaneously removed from engagement with said bars.

5. In a sound producing instrument, the combination with a bar that isoblong in cross section; of a hammer mounted to strike the narrower sideof said bar.

6. In a sound producing instrument, the combination with a main and asupplemental sound producing bar, the main bar beingy mounted to swingwhen struck and carrying a portion that is within striking range of thesu plemental bar; dampers normally applied to oth bars; and mechanismoperable upon the main bar for setting it into vibration and incontrolling relation to said dampers and, when operated, operating uponsaid dampers 0 remove them from engagement with said ars. v

7. In a sound producing instrument,` the combination with a main and asupplemental-- sound producing bar, the main bar having a portionengageable 'with the supplemental bar when the main bar is set intosound producing vibration to set the supplemental bar into soundproducing vibration; dampers normally applied to both bars; andmechanism operable upon the main bar forsetting it into vibration and incontrollin relation to said dampers and, when operated, operating uponsaid dampers to remove them from engaglment with said bars.`

a sound producing instrument, the combination with a main and a suplemental sound producing bar, the main ar being mounted to swing whenstruck and carryingla portion that is within striking range of t esupplemental bar dampers normally applied to both bars; and mechanismoperable upon .the main bar and including a hammer for striking kthemain bar to set it into vibration and in controlling relation to saiddampers 0 remove them from engagement with said ars. 9. In'a soundproducing instrument, the combination with a main and a supplementalsound producing bar, the main bar having a Artion engageable `with thesupplemental ar when the main bar is set into sound producing vibrationto set the supplemental bar into sound `producing vibration; dampersnormally a plied? to both bars; and mechanism o era le u on the main barand including a ammer or striking the main bar to set it into vibrationand in controlling relaltion to said dampers and, when operated, op-

erating upon said dampersto remove them from engagement with said bars.

10. In a sound producing instrument, the combination with a main andsupplemental sound iroducing member; dampers, normally applie to bothmembers; and mechanism operable upon said members for settin them intovibration. and in controlling relationto said dampers and, whenoperated, operating upon saiddampers to remove them from engagement withsaid members.

11. 'In a sound producing instrument, the l combination with a main andsupplemental sound producing member; dampers normally applied to bothmembers; and mechanism operable upon said members and including a hammerfor striking the main member to set it into vibration and in'controlling relation to said' dam rs and, when operated, operat# ingupon 'said dampers to remove them from en gement with said members'. pIii witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name. y t

. -JOHN Q DE'AGAN.

